Sing, Unburied, Sing Lesson Plan

Reading Literature with Racist Slurs

Kind of Activity:

Classwide Discussion

Objective:

Students will address concerns surrounding reading works that have racist language or characters

Common Core Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1

Structure:

The particulars of this classroom activity can be tweaked depending on the student makeup of the class (the conversation will necessarily be different if it is a primarily white class or a class of primarily Black and Latinx students). Emphasis on transparency and honesty will best serve the students in this respect.

Part 1:

To begin, students should read the following article from The New York Times and respond to the...